Emergency Management Services

Ultimately, the purpose of emergency management is to increase the University’s capabilities to respond to the hazards that threaten the campus, all the while, preventing or reducing the impact of the hazards on the community. The purpose of the University of Utah’s emergency management program is to coordinate the activities of various departments responsible for continued operations during disasters, coordinate inter-local agreements for use of resources, communicate with state and federal agencies, and provide education and training. The University of Utah is committed to the welfare of our students, faculty, staff, and visitors. Our emergency management program is designed to respect this commitment; to maximize human safety and survival; to minimize danger; to preserve university property; to restore normal working conditions; and to assure responsive communications within the university community and to our surrounding neighborhoods, the broader Salt Lake City community, and media outlets.

Jeff Graviet

Director

Stuart Moffat

The U’s emergency operations plan is enacted whenever a natural disaster or other emergency affects the university. This plan is a tool for the university to accomplish its stated purposes efficiently and effectively, with a minimum of confusion, and with the best interests and safety of our community members in mind. The U’s Emergency Operations Plan is reviewed annually and updated as necessary.

Mitigation refers to actions taken before an event occurs to prevent or lessen the impact the event has to life and property. Examples of mitigation include; building codes, remodeling, and training. In 2010, the University received FEMA approval of its campus mitigation strategy.

Preparedness refers to activities, actions, procurements, planning, training and inter-jurisdictional cooperation designed to increase response readiness to identified hazards the University community faces.

Response is the mobilization of resources to meet the needs of the community in response to the nature of the disaster. Response is usually associated with the period of time immediately after the event and necessary to ensure life safety issues are handled. Examples include; building or campus-wide evacuations, fire and emergency medical services, hazardous materials clean up, debris removal, public works activities and law enforcement.

Recovery refers to long term mobilization of support operations that work toward returning the community to its pre-event condition. The greater the magnitude of the disaster the greater the recovery effort required.

The University of Utah "U Heads Up!" app provides students, faculty, staff and visitors with a quick-reference campus emergency response guide, a photo and comment upload to tell us about your safety concerns around campus, and push notifications from our Campus Alert system. Get the important emergency information you need to stay safe at the University of Utah. For more information visit dps.utah.edu/headsup.

Emergency Assembly Points (EAPs) are outdoor areas where students, faculty, staff and visitors can gather in the event of emergencies. Every building has an assigned Emergency Assembly Point. Emergency Management is training emergency response coordinators in individual buildings to connect with EAP staff and we are working with business units to develop emergency plans to evacuate and account for people during crisis. We are currently replacing EAP maps in buildings across campus with posters that offer emergency response guidance as well as an EAP map for your building.

The University of Utah’s Campus Alert System is designed to reach everyone on campus in the best way possible during an emergency. Alerts are sent via text message and color-coded email. Please make sure your cell phone number is updated in CIS. For more information visit: alert.utah.edu